The invention relates to sleeper berth occupant safety in a moving vehicle and in particular to a novel system for improving sleeper berth safety in a rollover accident.
Many long haul trucks and other vehicles which transport occupants for long distances have sleeper berths which are legally usable for an occupant to sleep in while the vehicle is moving. Such sleeper berths generally have some safety provisions, which are primarily designed for direct frontal collision type accidents. A typical sleeper berth safety system is shown in FIG. 1. An occupant 3 lies on a pad or mattress 4 in sleeper berth 1. The safety devices typically consist of safety lap belts 5, sometimes in conjunction with a net 2.
The inventor has discovered through rollover simulation testing that the systems of the type shown in FIG. 1 are not effective during rollover accidents particularly when the head is leading the person's body toward the intruding surfaces of the vehicle.
The problem is that the occupant, during a rollover, may in fact slip all or partially out of belts and net and his head may injuriously come into contact with the intruding roof and walls of the berth, particularly if the berth's structure is deformed during the accident. Thus the inventor has gathered significant evidence that this slippage occurs in existing sleeper berth safety systems even when the systems are in good working order and are utilized as designed. Thus it is the object of this invention to provide a safety system for sleeper berths that is effective during rollover accidents.